Harvey Had A Brother
by hana-to-mame
Summary: Mike asks Harvey about his family, but becomes suspicious when he's reluctant to talk about the little brother he once mentioned.  Mike resolves to find out why.  Slash.
1. Conditions

**Harvey Had A Brother (a Suits fanfiction)**

**Rated: T**

**Pairings: Mike/Harvey**

**Summary: Mike asks Harvey about his family, but becomes suspicious when he's reluctant to talk about the little brother he once mentioned. Mike resolves to find out why. Slash.**

**A/N: I know I don't need to be starting another new story but I figure it's okay with the last chapter of Handling It going up tomorrow :D**

Chapter One - Conditions (Posted 21 December 2011)

"So you say you don't care about people, right?" Mike asked one night out of the blue. They'd been working silently but efficiently on a case late into the night.

Harvey looked over at him. "I don't just say it."

"Yeah, sure. But what about your family? Surely you have family and friends that you care about?"

Harvey pursed his lips. "That's different. I like to know that they're doing well, but that's not really caring. Caring is doing things for someone and constantly checking in on them, and _showing_ that you care. I don't do that."

"But why?"

"You know, I don't recall it ever being your business." he said with a pointed stare.

"I just want to understand." Mike defended. "I've met people that don't care because they just don't. But that's not you, you obviously choose not to care. I just want to know why."

"It doesn't matter why. What matters is that you finish those files before I finish these." he held up a folder.

"Well if you tell me I'll stop pestering you and get to work."

Harvey sighed, an unrecognizable look in his eyes. "You should get back to work regardless."

"Come on, Harvey. I've told you everything you wanted to know the moment you asked. And besides, you like to see me doing well, so that obviously means you consider me some kind of friend. Why can't you just tell me?"

"Tell you what," Harvey said, sitting back and thinking for a moment.. "If you ask me a question, I'll answer it truthfully. Then you can deduce a motive from the evidence presented to you, just like you would in a case."

"What's your middle name?" Mike asked.

"A relevant question, Mike."

"How do I know if you're really telling the truth? If you're so intent on hiding it, who's to say you won't lie about it?"

Harvey shrugged. "I guess you'll just have to trust me."

Mike took a deep breath. "I haven't really done a very good job of that since you hired me, have I?"

"You've been better lately." Harvey afforded him the tiny complement. Then he leaned forward and spoke in a serious tone. "But listen to me, I promised the truth, so I'm going to give you every bit of truth that pertains to the answer, and you probably won't like some of it."

Mike shrugged, but his eyes held a subtle deer-in-the-headlights kind of blankness. "I can handle it."

"One more condition."

Another shrug. "Anything."

"For every question you ask me, I get to ask you any question I want. And-"

"That's not fair!" Mike gaped.

"You didn't let me finish. And close your mouth, you leave it hanging open like that and someone will take it as an invitation." Mike snapped his mouth shut with an embarrassed glare. Harvey gave a satisfied smirk and continued, "As I was saying, I can ask you any question I want, but you don't have to answer."

Mike puffed his cheeks in confusion. "But you could do that any time..."

"I still wasn't done." Harvey rolled his eyes in annoyance. "You don't have to answer, but anything you do say is completely confidential and judgement free. I won't use it as a bargaining chip against you, and I won't give you a hard time about it." Harvey felt a sense of pride grow within him. He knew Mike probably couldn't see the logic in this, but it would really work to his advantage if he wanted the kid to talk. Mike wasn't the only one who needed answers, after all.

"That's it?"

Harvey nodded. "That's it."


	2. Questions

Chapter Two - Questions (Posted 22 December 2011)

"Why are you staring at me?" Mike asked. It had been three days since Harvey had promised to answer Mike's questions, but Mike had yet to ask any. "Did you call me in here for a reason, or can I go back to work?"

"Why haven't you asked me anything yet?"

"Huh?"

"I told you you could any question you wanted about why I don't care about people. You were so intent on finding the answer, but you haven't said a thing about it since then. Which is odd, because you usually find a way to work it in at last once a day."

"I changed my mind." Mike said simply. "I shouldn't pry into your life like that. I told you about mine because I was comfortable doing so. I should have respected you more than to push you into telling me. And I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be. You were right... I should tell you. As my associate, and my... friend," Harvey was surprised at how easy it was to say the word, "You need to know."

Mike beamed. "Really?"

Harvey closed his eyes, unable to handle Mike's pure smile. "Really. Now get on with it."

"Give me some time, I have to think of questions."

"The first question can be a freebie to get the ball rolling. Then figure out what you need to ask as you go along. But my warning still stands, Mike."

"Yeah, yeah. So I can ask any question?"

"That's what I said."

"In that case, what _is_ your middle name?"

Harvey rolled his eyes. "Haven't you seen it written down anywhere?"

"Does that count as your question for me?"

"Alan." Harvey answered Mike's first question. It actually was relevant, despite how he'd played it off three days ago.

Mike furrowed his brow. "That's weird..."

"What?"

"I just got déjà vu for a second."

Harvey lifted an eyebrow. "Déjà vu? Shouldn't you be immune to that?"

Mike shook his head. "Remembering everything doesn't mean I can't get déjà vu, Harvey." He said, sounding like there was more to it. "Okay, another question. Did you get along with your parents when you were young?"

"Depends on what you mean by 'young'," Harvey said softly, looking down at some paperwork on his desk. "When I was a little kid, yes, I got along with them wonderfully."

"What changed?"

Harvey blinked and looked up. "My little brother. Now, I get to ask you two questions. One, why do you insist on wearing those skinny ties? Even if you cant afford a nice suit, you could at least invest in a quality tie."

Mike almost laughed. "These are perfectly good ties." he protested. "Why would I waste money on more when they come with the suits?"

"I'll accept that for now."

"And your other question?"

"After your parents died," he started quietly, trying not to sound insensitive, "did you go to live with your grandmother right away?"

"Why would you ask that? I've already told you everything." Mike asked meekly.

"I just wanted to be sure. You don't have to answer if you don't want to, remember?"

Mike blinked a few times, trying to decide what to say, if anything. "Yeah. She was awarded full custody of me right away, as per my parents' will. Look, if it's okay, I think I'm done with questions for today."

"It's fine."

"Right." Mike started to walk away.

"Hey."

"What?"

"I'm sorry if that made you uncomfortable."

"It's okay." Mike said honestly. "It just... took me by surprise, is all."

Harvey nodded, sending him on his way. It was only a few seconds until Donna was in his office, looking stern. "What?" he asked her.

"I still don't see how you can possibly deny that he's-"

"Donna, I have to be sure." Harvey argued.

"His parents died when he was eight, Harvey, that's how old Mikey was when-"

"Stop it." he glared at her.

"No, _you_ stop it. Stop refusing to believe what we both know is true. That Mike is _your_ Mikey. _He__'__s_ your little brother and you've got to tell him before he finds out on his own or you may never get him back."

"It's more complicated than that. Did you hear what he said? He said he went right to live with his grandmother. My brother lived with us for a year before he was taken away from me."

"How many other foster siblings did you have throughout your life?"

"A lot."

"Were you close to them?"

Harvey shook his head. "I got along with them okay, but no, I wasn't close to them."

"Would you recognize any of them now that all of you are all grown up?"

"Probably not."

"But you recognized Mike. The minute I sent him back with you you recognized him and I knew who you recognized him as. You can't fool me. Here." She took a file from under her arm and threw it on his desk.

"What is this?"

"Mike's medical history."

"How did you-"

"Don't ask questions," she instructed, "just skip to page three. He was taken to the hospital right after the crash. No severe injury, but take a look at the diagnosis."

Harvey skimmed the page. "Amnesia."

"Your poor little Mikey couldn't remember who he was, could he?"

"No." Harvey took a deep breath. "But that doesn't prove anything."

"Harvey, they're a perfect match. The sandy, shaggy hair, the bright blue eyes, the unique personality... he even has eidetic memory, for crying out loud. It would have to be one hell of a coincidence for there to be two people fitting that description in this city."

"I know." Harvey murmured.

"He was eight when his parents died. Mikey was eight when he was placed with your family."

"I know." Harvey repeated. "But it still doesn't fit."

"Doesn't it?" Donna asked. "I think it fits perfectly. You know one of the possible affects of amnesia. The patient doesn't remember what happened while they were amnesic."

"That's only in rare cases," Harvey refuted.

"Mike's a rare case in himself. Just think about it. He's taken away from you, put back in his grandmother's care. Suddenly all his memories return, but he forgets all about his time as a Specter. It would explain why he doesn't recognize you, and is utterly loyal to you despite this. You telling him your middle name gave him a sense of déjà vu, didn't it?"

"Yeah," harvey admitted sourly.

"As I recall, you hated your name as a child. So what did everyone call you instead?"

Harvey sent her a piercing glare. "Alan. They called me Alan. But that's where your theory falls through, because Mikey preferred to call me Harvey regardless. So wouldn't my real name have triggered some part of the memories to come back?"

"How sweet," she cooed. "But you're smart enough to know that triggers don't really have a pattern recognizable to anyone other than that person, and even then, it's unconscious."

"And what if it is him?" Harvey asked. "What am I supposed to do? Just go up to him and tell him 'Oh, by the way, you're the long lost foster brother I've been looking for since I was fourteen.' I don't think that would go over too well."

"I think there's more you'd want to say than that."

Harvey shot her another glare. "I need time to think about this." He looked back down at Mike's medical file and spotted a post-it with a phone number on it. "Whose number is this?"

"Mike's grandmother's at the nursing home." she said with a wink. "You can thank me later."


	3. Phone Call

Chapter Three - Phone Call (Posted 28 December 2011)

"I was wondering when I'd finally get a call from you, Mr. Specter." Mike's grandmother said into the phone. "I'm surprised it took you this long."

"I guess you know why I'm calling, then." Harvey said.

"Of course I do," the older woman laughed, "as soon as he told me your name I knew I'd be hearing from you. But, as I said, I thought it would have been sooner."

"Yes, well..." Harvey explained, "I couldn't be sure..."

"Listen, young man. I'm an old woman, I don't like to talk about these kinds of things over the phone. If you find some time to come here, I'll tell you anything you want to know."

"Mrs. Ross, I'm very busy-"

"Do you want to know the truth or not?" she asked. Silence.

"I'll be there tomorrow afternoon."

"I thought so. See you then."

X

"Harvey?" Mike snapped his fingers close to his boss's face.

"What do you want?"

Mike blinked. "Um... you asked me to bring you this?" he extended his hand, holding out a folder. "Are you okay? I've never seen you out of it like that?"

"It's none of your business," he said, looking away. Because it was very much Mike's business, but he couldn't know about it yet. He paged through the file. "This is good."

"What?" Mike was surprised by the small compliment.

Harvey ignored the urge to tell him to get his ears checked. "I said this is good."

"Why are you being so... nice to me lately?"

"I'm always nice."

Mike lifted his eyebrows. "Yeah... okay..."

"Have any more questions for me since yesterday?" Harvey attempted to change the subject.

"Yeah, actually. A bunch. But I still feel bad about sticking my nose into your business..."

"I told you, it's fine. I want you to know."

"Then why go through all this? Why make me ask the questions when you could just tell me everything?"

"Because nothing in life is ever just handed to you. I'm teaching you how to figure things out on your own." Harvey told him. Then he smirked, saying, "Besides, it's more fun watching you work for it."

Mike shook his head, acting annoyed. "There's another thing, though. As much as I really do want to know, I don't want to take time away from work to do this, because everyone is always hounding on me for slacking, so I can't imagine how I'll be treated if I actually do slack off... So maybe you should just save time and tell me."

"Nice try. You can't get it out of me that easily. We'll just have to set aside a time outside of work to talk about it."

"Aaw, Harvey, if you wanted to hang out with me why didn't you just say so?"

"Do you want to or not?"

"Well yeah, but..."

"Then today, when we're done, we'll go somewhere and talk about it."

"But I stay longer than you..."

"You'll be done when I am today. I'm your boss, no one's going to argue with it. I'll come get you when it's time to go."

"Alright... But where are we going?"

Harvey shrugged. "I haven't decided yet. Now go get back to work."

X

Later, when they were in the back of the car, Mike couldn't stop worrying about his bike. He didn't say anything to Harvey, he knew what he'd say. It was old and ugly, no one would want it. And if it did get damaged or stolen, he'd be better off. But he liked that bike. That, and he had no other way to get around.

"Where are we going?"

"My place."

Mike coughed. "What? Why?"

"Because it'll be quiet. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No... but when you said outside of work I thought you meant you were going to drag me to one of those fancy places we take clients."

"You say that as if you don't like those places."

Mike nodded. "That's because I don't. I like simple things, so I always feel out of place there. No matter how dressed up I am, I always feel like everyone can tell I don't belong."

"You never seem out of place."

"It's called acting, Harvey. I learned it early on. Acting like I had a normal brain so I wouldn't get picked on as much. Acting like I wasn't high when I was. Acting like I wasn't cheating on someone's test for them, and then acting like it didn't bother me as long as I got payed. Acting like I wasn't carrying a briefcase full of pot around a swanky hotel. And now acting like I'm a lawyer."

"Maybe you should give up the lawyer gig and go to Hollywood."

Mike laughed. "Yeah, maybe."


	4. Memories

Chapter Four - Memories (Posted 5 January 2012)

"_Sweetie," a beautiful woman leaned down to be at eye level with her son, "you know we've got another one coming to stay with us for a while."_

"_Yeah, Mom," Harvey answered her, "you told me last week." He wasn't really surprised by the news. They'd had foster children in and out of their house for as long as Harvey could remember._

"_We're putting him in your room."_

"_What!" He was not okay with that. "Why? We have plenty of rooms for him!"_

"_We were advised to let him room with someone else."_

"_Why can't you put him in one of the other kids' rooms?"_

_His mother sighed. "You know we can only have two kids in a bedroom, Alan. All the other kids are already sharing a bedroom, and we're not going to make them switch rooms when we can just put him with you."_

"_Theresa has her own room too! Why can't he stay with her?"_

"_We can't mix boys and girls." she answered. "Besides, your sister is seventeen. Michael needs someone closer to his own age."_

"_How old is he?"_

"_Eight."_

"_I'm five years older than him!" Harvey protested._

"_It doesn't matter. He's moving into your room and that's final. You sleep on the top bunk anyway, so he can sleep on the bottom."_

"_I have stuff on the bottom."_

"_Then you'll have to move it. Look, I know you don't like sharing a room, but this is only temporary. A couple months."_

"_Why does he need to be with someone anyway?" Harvey sulked._

"_He recently lost his parents." she said sadly. "But he doesn't remember. He's confused and lonely, so we need to make him feel as welcome as possible. Putting him all by himself will only make him feel worse."_

"_He doesn't remember what happened?"_

_She shook her head._

_Harvey felt his heart sink. He loved his parents, and couldn't imagine what it would feel like to lose them. He hadn't even met this kid yet and he already felt sorry for him._

_His mother stood up. "I'm not asking you to make some huge sacrifice. I just need you to share your room and talk to him once in a while. He'll need someone as sweet as you looking out for him. Can you do that?"_

_Harvey nodded. "Okay." It was just a couple months. How bad could it be?_

_She smiled down at him. "Thank you."_

X

"Wow," Mike said as they walked into Harvey's condo, "you have a really nice place."

"You said that last time." Harvey said.

"Yeah, but I was drunk last time and I only got a peek. This place is huge."

"The kitchen is that way," Harvey pointed, "go sit in there. I'll be right in."

"Okay." Mike wandered in the direction Harvey pointed and sat down at the table. "I think my entire apartment would fit in here."

"Probably." Harvey said, walking in behind him. "You want something to drink?"

"Um... no, I'm okay."

"You sure?" Harvey opened his fridge. "How about a Pepsi?"

"You drink Pepsi?" Mike asked.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "I am a person, Mike. Do you want it or not?"

"Yeah. Thanks." He caught the can Harvey tossed to him and opened it.

"What's your first question?"

"You said you got along with your parents until something happened with your little brother."

Harvey nodded. "Yeah."

"Well. What happened?"

"A lot of things happened. You're going to have to be more specific than that."

"Okay. How many siblings did you have?"

"A lot. I had an older sister, Theresa. But my parents were foster parents, so I had a bunch of foster brothers and sisters. Some stayed for a few weeks. Others stayed longer."

"What was the longest they ever stayed."

Harvey took a breath. "One little boy came to us right after my thirteenth birthday. He was only supposed to stay for two or three months, which was normal. We mostly took kids who were just waiting until they found a permanent home, not ones that had nowhere to go. But something kept going wrong with the custody plans for this one. He stayed with us for a whole year."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Now it's my turn."

"Okay." Mike still had more questions for Harvey. But a deal is a deal.

"Has your eidetic memory ever failed you?"

Mike was surprised by the question. "Well... yeah. It's rare for that to happen, but it's not perfect."

"What happened?"

"Hmmm. Well... once I got lost when I was on my bike as a kid. But I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings, you know? It was a new bike and I was going so fast, I was distracted, I guess. And then another time I was writing a thank you card, and I couldn't remember what I wrote."

"That's it?"

Mike fidgeted. "Uh, not exactly. After... I mean... after the crash..." Mike didn't specify. He knew Harvey knew what he was talking about. "I couldn't remember anything. But that's not just my eidetic memory, it's my entire memory. I was told I still remembered things just by looking at them once, but to this day I have no idea what happened during the week I had amnesia."

"Week?" Harvey asked.

"Yeah. See I'd been comatose for a long time. And when I came out of it, I had amnesia. Then my gram picked me up and after being home for a few days, my memories came back. I woke up one morning acting like myself, and that's when Gram told me everything that happened."

"What did she tell you?"

"I already told you what she said. She told me I'd been in an accident that... you know... took my parents from us, and put me in a coma. Then I woke up with amnesia."

Harvey was confused. Why would his grandmother lie to him about what happened after the accident? "How long were you in the coma?"

"You've already asked more questions than you were supposed to." Mike reminded him with a tiny smile. "So this boy that came to live with you, was he the brother that changed things for you?"

"Absolutely."

"Were you close to him?"

"I was closer to him than anyone. Believe it or not, I was a nice kid. I always helped my parents with things, and I looked out for the foster kids who were younger than me. I never had any reason to hide my emotions from people. And when he came, I felt so bad for what happened to him. Things were rocky between us at first, but he... he was a target for a lot of the local bullies. They liked to tease him, but I couldn't stand it. I hated bullies in the first place, but no one messed with my family and got away with it."

"You protected him?" Mike asked, trying to imagine Harvey standing up for someone smaller and weaker than him.

"Yeah. But one time... things progressed from just words to threats of physical violence. And even then I was all for people learning to stick up for themselves, but when he tried to fight that kid himself... he got hurt. Badly. And that was the last straw for me. I beat that kid's ass so hard he had to miss school for weeks. And I don't know how, but no one ever found out it was me. But somehow my brother knew. And he clung to me from that day forward."

X

_Harvey ran as fast as he could. But of course he didn't get there fast enough. It wasn't that far from one end of the playground to the other, but the world seemed to be going in slow motion as he tried to catch Mikey before he hit the pavement._

_And when he saw the blood gushing from his nose, mixing with the tears as he cried out in pain, he froze. Was that laughing he heard?_

_He turned and faced the kid who dared to punch his brother. He shoved him down, intent on breaking him like he'd broken Mikey, but another cry from behind him brought him out of his fury. This scum would have to wait._

_Then he was at Mikey's side, yelling for help. He was always calm in emergency situations, but this was just too much for him to handle. He didn't know what to do._

_And the adults were just standing around, gawking. Until one glorious savior pushed through the crowd and called for an ambulance. She did her best to calm Harvey down, to tell him that help was on the way. Somehow she managed to get his parents' phone number from him and call them too, letting them know what happened._

_He rode in the ambulance with Mikey, unable to leave his side. He held onto the stretcher as they wheeled him into the hospital. It took three nurses and a security team member to pry him away from the bleeding boy. And then his parents were there, restraining him so he wouldn't go running into the emergency room._

_Three hours later they were finally allowed to go see him, and he couldn't move fast enough. He was finally able to breathe as he reached Mikey's bedside and saw his eyes were open, and he was free of blood. The cast on his arm and stitches on his lip made him feel queazy, but Mikey was okay, and that was what mattered._

"_Harvey!" Mikey smiled through his injuries. Then frowned worriedly. "Why are you crying?"_

"_I told you not to try to fight him, Mikey." Harvey reached into the bed and grabbed his hand. It wasn't cold like it had been in the ambulance._

"_But I wanted to be strong. Like you."_

_Harvey shook his head. "You got hurt. I was worried about you."_

"_I'm okay now, though."_

"_You are not. You've got a broken arm and a busted lip. And that bump on the back of your head is going to hurt really bad tomorrow."_

"_But you're here." Mikey said. "So I'm going to be okay."_

"_Promise me you won't try to fight anymore."_

"_But, Harvey..."_

"_Promise me." Harvey demanded, his eyes fierce._

"_Okay. I promise."_

"_Here." Harvey held out a stuffed monkey. "I got this for you from the gift shop."_

_Mikey smiled and accepted the gift, hugging it closely._

X

"Did people still try to mess with him?"

"Of course they did." Harvey said. "But I was always there to make sure he never got hurt again."

Mike thought about something. "When do we get to the part where you become an emotionless prick?"

Harvey's eyes darkened. "When you ask the right questions. But for now, I've got more for you."

"What else could you possibly want to know about me?"

"Trust me, there's plenty I want to know."


	5. Secrets

Chapter Five - Secrets (Posted 12 January 2012)

"_What's your name?" Harvey asked as the new kid sat on the bottom bunk. He sat next to him, trying to be nice, just like his mom had asked him to._

"_Mikey." The boy's voice was just as small as he was._

"_Hi, Mikey. I'm Alan."_

_Mikey didn't say anything for a while. "You don't look like an Alan."_

"_Alan's my middle name." Harvey explained._

"_Then what's your real name?" Mikey asked, cocking his head to the side._

_Harvey wrinkled his nose. "My real name's Harvey."_

"_Harvey. I like that name."_

"_Well I don't. So everyone calls me Alan."_

"_Oh." Mikey said quietly._

_Harvey felt bad all of a sudden. He was supposed to be patient with this kid. Make him feel welcome. "But if you like it, you can call me Harvey. Okay?"_

"_Really?" Mikey's eyes shined brightly._

"_Yeah..." Harvey said, momentarily disoriented by his new brother's smile._

_They sat in silence for a while. Harvey was trying to think of something to say, and assumed Mikey was waiting to be talked to. It was strange. Most kids his age, even the foster kids, were more talkative than him._

"_Do you know why I'm here?" Mikey asked out of the blue._

_This caught Harvey off guard. "You don't know what happened?"_

_Mikey shook his head. "No one will tell me."_

_Harvey gulped. What was he supposed to tell him? He couldn't very well say he was staying with them because his parents were dead and the state was still deciding if his grandmother was fit to take care of him. "You don't remember anything?"_

"_Nope."_

"_That's why you're here," Harvey decided on, "so you can get your memories back."_

"_You're going to help me?"_

"_...Sure." Harvey said. He didn't know exactly how long Mikey would be with his family. But he already knew he was going to end up becoming attached. The one thing he was always taught not to do. But looking into those sad, blue eyes made him decide it was worth any pain it might cause in the future._

X

"How long were you in a coma?" Harvey asked again.

"About eleven months."

"That's a long time." Harvey said, the puzzle coming more into shape as he found another piece that fit.

Mike shrugged. "Well, the impact was pretty strong. I'd say I was lucky, considering what happened to the other two people in the car." he looked down.

"If this is too much..." Harvey really didn't want to push him. He just had to know.

"No," Mike looked up, his eyes only slightly wet. "It's okay. For some reason, it doesn't hurt as much when it's you I'm talking to about it." he confided quietly.

X

_Harvey woke in the middle of the night. He looked out the window and saw it was really dark out. But the night light across the room lit up enough he could make out some shapes. He shuffled around in his bed and leaned down to check on Mikey in the bottom bunk._

_But there was nothing there._

_His heart skipped a beat as he jumped off the bed. He moved Mikey's blankets around, but only found that the boy really wasn't there._

_He ran into the hallway, tripping on something just a few inches from his door. He looked down, relieved to see Mikey, sound asleep. He could even make out the vague shape of Mr. Monkey, tight in Mikey's arms just as it had been every night for the past month._

_Stooping down, he gave the boy a gently shake. "Mikey," he whispered._

"_Hmm?" his eyes fluttered open and he focused on Harvey's face._

"_What are you doing out here?"_

"_Sleeping." he answered groggily._

"_Why?"_

"_Because Samantha said you never wanted me in your room. And then Johnny told me you only let me in there because your mom said so."_

_Harvey sighed. "Hey," he ran his fingers though Mikey's shaggy hair, "did I ever say I didn't want you in there?"_

_Mikey shook his head. "No."_

"_Exactly. If I didn't want to share my room with you, I would have made you leave a long time ago."_

"_But Miranda said-"_

"_Miranda is jealous that I get you all to myself." Harvey smiled. "You're just so cute, everyone else wants to be as close to you as I am. But they can't have you."_

_Mikey giggled. "Because I'm yours."_

"_That's right. Now come on, let's get you back to bed." Harvey reached out and scooped the smaller boy into his arms, careful not to hurt his arm. He took him back in their room and laid him in his bed. "There."_

"_Harvey..."_

"_Hm?"_

"_I don't know why I'm here, but I'm glad I am."_

"_So am I."_

"_You're the best brother in the world. I love you."_

_Harvey leaned over and hugged him. "I love you too. Now go to sleep. School in the morning."_

X

Harvey nodded. Of course it didn't hurt to talk to him about this. On some unconscious level, Mike still knew he could trust Harvey with anything. "Where was Trevor during all this?"

Mike shook his head. "I don't know. Gram told me he wasn't told about my coma because we were so young, so he couldn't visit me."

"What did he think was going on while you were gone?"

"I never asked him."

"Why not?"

"Because I didn't care. When I got my memories back... All I wanted was to know what when on around me while I was out of it. But no one would tell me anything. And even at that age I knew better than to ask Trevor. We were just kids. He probably didn't know anything that would have been useful to me."

"What do you mean?"

"I always felt like I was missing something." Mike admitted. "I mean... I missed my parents, but I felt like there was something else... Gram told me I must have had a powerful dream. You know one theory is that dreams can be a source of wish-fulfillment, so she thought maybe since I couldn't do anything, I dreamt I was doing all the things I liked, and so what I missed was the dreams."

"Did you believe her?"

Mike made a thoughtful face. "No? I was a kid, I thought I knew what I was talking about, so I thought maybe she was lying to me for some reason. As I grew up, no one could answer the questions I had. So I gave up."

"Do you still feel like you're missing something?"

"Kind of. I felt it all the time growing up. This ache that just... well, ached." Mike chuckled sadly. "Lately it's not as bad. Maybe I'm finally mature enough to just accept it."

"When did it start to get better?" Harvey asked, although he had a guess.

Mike shifted again. "Right around the time you hired me. I think it's the job, you know? Finally being able to say I'm doing something with my life. I don't need dreams anymore."

X

_Mikey woke up screaming. He was cold and sweaty, and unable to remember the nightmare that cause him to wake._

_Suddenly his foster parents, along with pretty much everyone who lived in the house, were in the room with him. It was the third night in a row he'd woken up screaming in the middle of the night._

_He couldn't remember the dreams, all he knew was that they were scary. And Harvey wasn't there to make everything okay._

_Harvey was home from camp the next day._

_Mikey slept soundly that night._


	6. Lies

Chapter Six - Lies (Posted 19 January 2012)

"_Alan," his father sat him down in the living room, "your mother and I would like to talk to you about something."_

_Harvey looked back and forth between his parents. They seemed serious, but excited. Maybe a little nervous? "Okay..."_

"_Well," his mother began, "today it's seven months since Mikey came to stay with us."_

"_I know." Harvey knew. He'd been keeping track. He knew most of the kids were long gone by this time. So it was only a matter of time until Mikey would be gone too. He felt a deep pain in his chest when he realized what this must have been about._

_His mother sensed that pain. "So far, there's been no word on where he'll go after here."_

_Hope. "What does that mean?"_

"_We're not exactly sure," his father told him. "But we've been thinking... he's been doing really well here. You two are as close as any real brothers would be. Maybe closer."_

"_Yeah..."_

_His mother smiled at him. "We've never really gotten to this point with any of our foster children... but how would you feel if we tried to adopt him?"_

_The pain in Harvey's chest was replaced with warmth. "For real?"_

"_We can't guarantee anything right now," his father made sure he understood, "but we wanted to see what you thought about it before we went ahead with it."_

"_What I thought of it? I think it's a great idea!" Harvey beamed at them. He'd never harbored any bad feelings toward his foster siblings, but he was never keen on the idea of having any of them stay. But Mikey was different. He was his._

_His parents smiled brightly at him. "So do we," his mother agreed with him._

X

"Good evening, Mrs. Ross." Harvey greeted Mike's grandmother as he entered her room.

"Hello." she smiled at him. "So, what would you like to know?"

"Everything." Harvey said. "What happened after the accident that killed Mike's parents? Why was he suddenly pulled out of our home after being there for almost a year? And, most importantly, why did you lie to him?"

"That's a lot of questions for an old woman."

"I'm not blaming you, Mrs. Ross." Harvey said. "Honestly. I just want to know why my brother was taken away from me."

She nodded. "I understand. I didn't mean to lie to him..."

"Why don't you start at the beginning." Harvey suggested. "With the accident."

"It was dark. And rainy. They were driving home from my house. His father just went a little too fast, and someone else was going too fast, so, naturally, they crashed. They were gone long before the paramedics showed up." she said with a shaky breath. "Mike had only been knocked unconscious. A few bruises and scrapes, but he was in the back, and the car had been hit on the front side, so he lived. They rushed him to the hospital, and when he woke up, he couldn't remember anything."

"Amnesia."

"Yeah. They said it would wear off after a few hours. But they were wrong. And, to make matters worse, I suddenly had a social worker in my face telling me I was too old to care for my grandson in his parents' place. Told me he was going into foster care until they could determine if I was really fit to be a caregiver. That's where you come in. I visited him in the hospital every day, but he had no clue who I was. As soon as the doctors released him, he was taken to your house."

"You never visited him there." Harvey recalled.

She shook her head. "I wasn't allowed. They told me _maybe_ if he got his memories back. But he never did."

"How long was he supposed to stay with us?"

"A month." she said. "But I had a tiny, cramped house. A low-paying job. No one to watch him while I was at work. No car to take him anywhere."

"So he stayed with us until you got things in order enough to get him back."

"That's how it was supposed to go." Mrs. Ross told him. "But they kept fighting me. Every time I got one thing taken care of, another problem arose. Took me seven months to get cleared to have him back. And by then I was told your parents wanted to adopt my grandson!"

"We wanted to give him a permanent family."

"Well, all the legal stuff took forever. Your family had a damn good lawyer on their side. Three months later, though, I'd won him back."

"You took him from us."

"I took him back to his family."

"What happened when you took him home?" he changed the subject.

"I showed him around the house, thinking it would jog his memory."

"Did it?"

"No. He lived with me for a week and still had amnesia." she said, frustrated. I was afraid he'd never remember. But then, like a miracle, he woke up one morning like nothing ever happened. But he was confused. His head was fuzzy."

"So you told him he'd been in a coma."

"How did you know that?"

"He told me so." Harvey told her.

"Yes, I told him he'd been in a coma as a result of the accident. And I told him his parents were gone. And he was so sad. Wouldn't talk to anyone for weeks. And then he told me he was missing something. But he said it wasn't his parents, that they were gone and he understood that."

"And you told him it was a dream. You made him think he imagined the family he spent a year with."

"No. He didn't remember you. So I let him believe it was a dream." she said, sticking by what she'd done.

Harvey looked at her with an unbelieving look. "What would you have done if he'd remembered?"

She shrugged. "I would have told him."

"Would you have let him write to me like he promised he would? Would you have answered the goddam phone when I called to see how my little brother was doing?"

"He sent you a letter."

"Yeah. One." Harvey remembered. "And I sent a reply, but it was sent back to me. You'd moved."

"Of course we moved."

"You didn't want me to find him."

"Don't say it like that. You make me sound like I did the wrong thing. But I did what I thought was right for my little boy. I was his family."

"You broke my heart." Harvey told her, unashamed. "He was my brother. And you took him from me. I was crushed."

"I'm sorry."

"You can't keep the truth from him now. I've been looking for him since the day he was literally ripped out of my arms. I didn't want to hurt him, but now that I'm sure it's him, I just can't keep the truth from him anymore."

"I understand. He's a grown man. I'm just an old woman. I can't protect him from that."

"He didn't need protecting from me." Harvey said, a hint of anger slipping into his voice. "I was the person he counted on for protection.

X

_Mikey was on his bed, lying next to Harvey. Mr. Monkey was between them._

"_Harvey."_

"_Yeah?"_

"_I'm tired."_

_Harvey sighed, amused. "Then go to sleep, Mikey."_

"_But I don't want to go to sleep. If I fall asleep, you'll leave."_

"_Come here." Harvey pulled him against him, cuddling him, making him feel as safe as possible. "I'll never leave you."_

"_Even while I'm sleeping?"_

"_Even while you're sleeping. Now, close your eyes, and think of things that make you happy."_

"_Being your brother makes me happy."_

_Harvey smiled and snuggled closer to Mikey. "Then think about that. And try to fall asleep. I'll be right here the whole time."_

"_Promise?"_

"_I promise."_

X

"What did you bond over?" Mike asked as they ate pizza at work one night.

"Hm?" Harvey asked, confused by the sudden question.

"You and your brother. What did you like to do together?"

Harvey got a small, fond smile on his face. "We liked to read to each other."

Mike laughed a little. "Really? I can't imagine you reading to someone..."

"I don't think anyone could if they didn't see it for themselves. Like I said, I was a different person back then. We used to read to each other all the time. All sorts of things. He just... he really loved to read, and I loved seeing him happy."

"What else did you do?"

"We watched t.v. together sometimes. And we played board games. Went to the park. Sometimes we'd race. He was a ball of energy, it was hard to keep up with him even though I was just a teenager. But it was worth it to see him smile."

X

"_What do you want to do today?" Harvey asked as he walked Mikey home from school. The middle and elementary schools were right next to each other, so Harvey made sure to walk Mikey home every day._

_Mikey shrugged, toting his tiny backpack. "I don't know. What do you think we should do?"_

"_We could play chess."_

"_I'm bored with chess."_

"_Yeah," Harvey agreed, "I'm no match for you anyway."_

_Mikey giggled. "Can we do a puzzle?"_

"_Sure. We can stop at the store on our way and pick one up."_

"_Really?" Mikey asked with wide eyes._

"_Absolutely." Harvey smiled at him. They walked to the store, discussing the type of puzzle they might like to get. Maybe an animal, or some pretty scenery._

_When they got inside, Harvey grabbed his hand and led him to the toy section, stopping in the puzzle aisle. "Wow!" Mikey exclaimed. "There are so many of them."_

"_Go ahead. Pick any one you want."_

"_For real?"_

"_Yeah." Harvey nodded in encouragement. "Any one at all."_

_Mikey looked on in awe of the many puzzles in front of him. Then he saw one. He reached up, standing on his tip-toes, and got it down from the shelf. "I like this one." he said, showing it to his brother._

_Harvey inspected it. "You sure? It has five thousand pieces."_

"_It's pretty." Mikey made his eyes wide and pouty._

"_How can I say no to that face?" Harvey cooed. "Okay. We'll get this one then. We can do it together."_

"_Yay!" Mikey danced as they took the puzzle and paid for it at the counter. He gazed at it the rest of the walk home, completely mesmerized by the beautiful waterfall._

X

"You loved him a lot." Mike guessed.

"I really did." Harvey admitted. "He wasn't just my brother, he was my best friend in the whole world. Hell, he might as well have been the world, as far as I'm concerned."

"So what happened to him?"

"Now that... that's where things changed for me."

X

_Harvey was pushing Mikey on the swings. He didn't care much for swinging himself, but he liked pushing the swing for his brother. Hearing him laugh and have fun was plenty for him._

"_What next?" He asked when Mikey hopped off the swing._

"_I think I'm ready to try the big slide."_

_Harvey nodded thoughtfully. "You sure you won't get scared?"_

"_I won't know until I try."_

"_That's the spirit. Come on, I'll take you up."_

_They climbed the ladder behind the other kids who wanted to slide. When they made it to the top, Mike suddenly didn't feel so brave anymore. "You were right. I'm scared._

"_Well we can't climb down, there're kids behind us."_

"_I can't..." Mikey looked like he was about to cry._

"_Hey, don't cry." Harvey patted him. He hated seeing him cry. "I've got an idea. How about I slide down first, and then I'll catch you when you slide down._

_Mikey sniffled. "Okay..."_

"_Okay." Harvey slid down the tall slide all the way to the bottom. When he made it there, he stood just a few inches away from the end. "You can do it, Mikey!" he yelled up. "I'm right here!"_

_Taking a shaky breath, Mikey lowered himself to sit at the top of the slide. He was so high up, and he hated heights. But Harvey was right there, so he knew he was safe. So he closed his eyes and pushed himself down. He felt a whoosh through his hair as he slid, making it to the bottom and throwing himself into Harvey's embrace. "I did it!"_

"_You sure did." Harvey smiled at him. "I'm proud of you."_

"_Thanks for catching me." He leaned into Harvey's hug, seeking the warmth he found in his arms._

"_Anytime."_

X

"My parents always taught me not to get too attached to any of the kids they took in." Harvey explained.

Mike nodded. "Makes sense."

"Yeah. But, obviously, I became attached. And the longer he stayed with us, the more attached I got, even though I knew he could end up leaving any day. Three months was a stretch, four was a miracle. Five and six were torment, because every day I would wake up wondering how much time I had left with him. And at seven months, my parents gave me the news."

"What news?"

"They wanted to adopt him."

X

"_Whatcha thinking about?" Mikey asked Harvey._

"_Nothing."_

_Mikey furrowed his little eyebrows. "But you were all spaced out. Smiling like there was a Star Trek marathon on."_

"_I was just... picturing something."_

"_What was it?"_

"_You."_

"_Me? But I'm right here. You can see me, so what were you picturing me for?"_

"_I was trying to imagine your reaction to something my parents told me yesterday."_

"_Is it a bad thing?" Mikey asked, scared._

"_No," Harvey assured him, "it's a good thing. I think so, anyway."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Do you remember anything yet? About before you came to live here?"_

_Mikey shook his head. "No."_

"_How would you feel about staying?"_

"_Staying?" Mikey asked quietly._

"_Yeah."_

"_Like, forever?"_

"_Yeah. Forever." Harvey liked the sound of that. "My parents want to adopt you, Mikey. We could be brothers forever. If you'd want to."_

_Mikey hugged him. "I wanna stay your brother, Harvey! I love it here!"_

"_I'm so glad to hear that." Harvey wrapped his arms around him._

"_So we're really going to be brothers? Like real brothers?"_

"_We're already brothers Nobody can deny that. And nobody can take it away."_

"_Because I belong to you."_

_Harvey winked. "And don't you forget it."_

X

"Adopt him?" Mikey asked. "That doesn't sound bad. Isn't that what you wanted, for him to stay?"

"Of course I wanted that. I wanted it more than anything."

"So what was wrong?"

Harvey drew in a deep, shaky breath. "My parents started the adoption process. Right at the same time his intended caregiver was deemed fit. There was a three-month long legal battle, but right after my fourteenth birthday, he was taken away from us. Away from me."

"Did you ever see him again?" Mike felt strangely hollow, a deep kind of sympathy he couldn't explain.

Harvey shook his head. "I tried. I tried to find him... but I was a kid. What could I do?"

"So that's why you're like this."

"He was my brother. _My_ brother. I know they wanted him with his own family, his own blood, but... it wasn't right. He was sent to live with a family member and I was never the same. I hated the state for taking him. I hated my parents for letting them take him. I hated all my other foster siblings because they _weren't_ him. And then... I just ran out of hatred. All my efforts to find him were in vain, and I just didn't care about anything. He was gone, and I was... numb."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Harvey said with more sincerity than he'd intended.


	7. Broken Promises

**A/N: Ah! Sorry this is a day late. I have a night class now on Thursdays (and Tueadays... again.) so I didn't have much time to update it and by the time I got back to my dorm I felt like a zombie so I totally forgot about it.**

Chapter Seven - Broken Promises (Posted 27 January 2012)

_Harvey wasn't ashamed of his emotions. He felt no embarrassment at showing affection. He loved helping people. He let his feelings run as free as anyone._

_But he had never felt a rage like the one he was in now. He stomped down the hallway, pushing Theresa out of the way when she stopped to ask him what was wrong._

_He stormed into his room, kicking his dresser and bookcase and any other fixture he came close to._

"_Harvey," asked the only voice that could reach him through his fury, "what's wrong?"_

_Harvey stilled and took a few shallow breaths before looking over to see Mikey, looking slightly frightened in his bed. He immediately straightened and calmed himself. The last thing he wanted to do was scare him. "Sorry, Mikey." he said softly, sitting next to him and hugging him close. "Don't be scared."_

"_I'm not scared." Mikey professed. "I was just worried about you."_

_Harvey smiled. Of course he was worried about him. "I'm fine."_

"_You don't seem fine."_

_Who was he kidding? They both knew he couldn't lie to him. No matter how much pain the truth would cause. "I'm not. I'm not fine."_

"_Why?"_

"_I'm angry."_

_Mikey hugged Harvey tighter. "What are you angry about?"_

"_Don't worry about it." Harvey ruffled his hair._

"_But I want to know. You tell me everything, Harvey. I can help."_

"_I know. I will tell you. But not now. Right now, it's time to go to sleep." He laid down, keeping Mikey close to him. He didn't need to be asked to stay with him anymore, he just did it. At first it was to protect him. But now he didn't think he would ever be able to fall asleep without this body in his arms._

_For the next few days, Harvey wouldn't let Mikey out of his sight. It was already a rare occurrence for them to be separated, but it became impossible as their remaining time together dwindled._

_He pushed him on the swing until he was sure his arms were about to fall off. He raced him up and down the yard even after his legs started cramping. They spent hours trying to finish their waterfall puzzle. And he kept a firm hold on Mikey's hand wherever they went._

_When the doorbell rang one afternoon, a deafening chime sounding throughout the house, Harvey's entire body went cold._

_Mikey looked up at him, feeling anxious at his uncharacteristically emotionless face._

"_Mikey!" their mother's voice drifted up to their room._

_He bit his lip, looking to Harvey for guidance. But the older boy didn't say anything. "Yeah, Mom?"_

"_Can you come down here for a second? Someone's here to see you."_

"_Who could it be?" Mikey whispered. "I don't know anyone." But Harvey didn't answer. Didn't move at all. So Mikey stood and went to leave the room, but felt someone pull him backwards into the tightest hug he'd ever felt in his life. "Harvey? What's wrong?"_

_Harvey didn't know what to say or do. He knew this time was coming since his parents dropped the bomb last week. "I love you, Mikey."_

"_I love you too." he assured, though he appeared confused._

"_I promise. No matter what happens, I love you. And I will never stop."_

"_I know, Harvey."_

"_Mikey?" their mother's voice called out again._

"_Coming, Mom." he answered. "Harvey, I can't move unless you let me go."_

"_Sorry." Harvey said, dropping his arms. But he kept hold of his hand, determined to spend every last second with him, even if it caused his heart to burst. "Let's go."_

_Mikey nodded, not sure if he should be happy, nervous, scared, angry, or any of the many other emotions he was feeling in that moment. But he walked away anyway, pulling Harvey along behind him. "Mom?" he asked when he made it downstairs. Then he saw an older woman he sort of recognized. "Hey, I know you. You're the woman they said was my grandmother."_

"_That's right," she nodded, tiny tears rolling down her cheeks. "You still don't remember me?"_

_He shook his head, half hiding behind Harvey. "And you," he looked at the pencil thin woman standing beside her, "you're the woman who brought me here..."_

_The woman looked at Mrs. Specter. "You didn't tell him?"_

_She held her tears in. "We didn't want to upset him."_

_Mikey suddenly felt afraid. "Tell me what?" As always, the first person he looked to for answers was Harvey. All he got was an icy hand on his shoulder._

"_Michael," the old woman said, looking into his eyes, seeking out the grandson she once knew, "you're coming home."_

"_I am home..."_

"_No, you're coming to your real home. With me, your grandmother."_

"_But I don't want to go!" he clung to Harvey, his tears soaking through his brother's clothes. "Harvey, please don't let them take me away! I want to stay with you."_

"_I'm so sorry." Harvey whispered._

"_Mrs. Ross," the other woman, who Harvey recognized as a social worker with her cheap matte grey suit and tight hair bun that clearly said she tried to look wealthier than she was, "please collect your grandson."_

_Harvey knew how these things worked. He'd lived with enough traumatized kids to know that the social worker wasn't supposed to touch him. But if his grandmother was his legal guardian, he had no way to stop her from taking him. "Mikey, I put my address and phone number in your pocket. I know you remember everything, but just in case. You can write to me and call me as much as you want, okay?" He had to be strong. He couldn't fall apart here. Not in front of him._

"_No!" Mikey screamed. "You can't let her take me! I'm yours! You said we would be brothers forever!" His eyes were clouded by his tears, but he was pretty sure the shape he saw coming toward him was the woman claiming to be his grandmother._

_He didn't mean to wrap his arms around Mike, protecting him like an invincible forcefield, it just sort of happened. Like a reflex. "That's right, you are mine. And I'll come get you one day. Then we can be brothers, Mikey."_

"_Harvey!" Mikey yelled as he was ripped away from Harvey._

_Harvye lunged forward to grab him, but suddenly his father was behind him, holding him back. He reached out, kicking the man who was keeping him from rescuing Mikey. "Let me go! They can't have him! They can't!"_

"_Let's go, Michael." the old woman said, dragging him away by his arm._

"_No, stop it! I wanna stay with Harvey! He loves me."_

_She looked down at him as she led him to her car. "I love you, Michael. I'm your family. They were just keeping you until you could come back with me."_

"_Harvey! Harvey, please!"_

_With one final, particularly strong kick, even for a fourteen-year-old, Harvey broke free of his fathers grasp and ran toward the one thing he loved most. He almost had him, their fingertips brushing just before a car door closed between them._

_He pounded on the window, promising Mikey with every fiber of his being that he wouldn't let this be the end. As he reached to open the door, the car sped away. He ran after it, staying beside it for as long as he could. But he was only human, no match for a motor vehicle. So he fell behind. But he kept running. He was sweating and panting and crying, and every muscle in his body was aching, but he ran until he couldn't see that car anymore._

_For the first time in his life, Harvey felt defeated. Mikey was gone. After he'd promised him they'd always be together. Even though he hadn't meant to do it, he'd lied. To the one person who never deserved to be lied to. And he felt like dirt._

_He trudged home, trying to find some way he could make this be okay. But he scowled at himself. Of course he couldn't make this okay. No part of this was okay._

"_Harvey." his mother said with a hoarse voice. Along with her puffy eyes and shaky stature, he could tell she'd been crying. "It's going to be okay."_

_That broke him. "How can you say that?" he yelled at her. "What in this whole world could make this okay?"_

"_Honey, I'm sorry." she declared meekly. "We did everything we could..."_

"_Well that wasn't good enough. You told me we were going to keep him. And then you just stood there while some old hag took him from his home!"_

_His father looked on at him, eyes full of as much sympathy as a hard working man would allow them to have. "It's better this way, son."_

"_Better?" he said harshly. "You promised it would work out."_

"_We didn't know..." his mother started._

_But he was already walking away. Back to his bedroom, which he promptly destroyed. While he'd only been kicking things around when he found out Mikey wouldn't be staying after all, now he was alone. There was no one to pull him from his blind rage. He knocked pictures off the wall, pulled all the drawers out of his dresser, took his baseball bat to his lamp, and threw the first book he saw out the window._

_The rest of the house pretended not to hear the ruckus coming from Harvey's room. They all knew it would be better to just let him get it out, there was no stopping him, lest someone got hurt._

_The noise stopped somewhere throughout the night. Everyone went to sleep, assuming Harvey had worn himself out._

_His parents silently agreed they would assess the damage in the morning._


	8. Letter

**A/N: Sorry this is so late. I know I said I'd do it on schedule but Thursdays became my busiest days all of a sudden. So I'll just update it every couple of days whenever I have time since it's all written.**

Chapter Eight - Letter (Posted 11 February 2012)

_Harvey was moved into one of the empty bedrooms while his was cleaned up and a new window was put in. He didn't protest. He didn't apologize for the mess. He barely said anything to anyone._

_Until he got a letter in the mail. From Mike._

_-Dear Harvey, I'm scared. This woman says she's my grandmother, but I don't know her at all. I miss you. And Mom and Dad and the others. I don't like it here. I'm all alone at night, and there's no one to push me on the swing. I want to call you, but I lost the paper with your phone number. And I can't remember it. That scares me even more. I'm so scared. I hope you come and get me soon. Love, Mikey.-_

_Harvey cried when he got the letter and sent a reply the same day. Finally, there was some hope that he hadn't completely lost him. He tried to call, to be able to talk to him in real time, but no one ever picked up. Every hour or so, he dialed the number the social worker had left with his parents._

_Then his letter was returned, saying there was no Mikey Ross at that address. And there was no forwarding address. He asked his parents, but they didn't know. The social worker wasn't allowed to tell them if they'd moved, and certainly couldn't tell them the new address if they had._

_So he'd never get Harvey's letter. And Harvey would never know if he was still scared. Would never know if he got his memories back. Hell, he'd never know if he was even alive._

_That's when he permanently embraced the cold demeanor he'd worn on and off since he learned Mikey had to go. Suddenly he just couldn't let himself feel anything anymore. He had no reason. Nobody ever talked about Mikey around him, they knew better. And he demanded that no one ever call him by his first name, even in jest, unless they wanted all their teeth to fall out._

X

Mike stared at his boss. He didn't know whether to be shocked or sympathetic. Or both. "So that's why you stopped showing your emotions. You just... held them in, not even acknowledging them..."

"It was the only way I could live through it." Harvey said darkly. "I did everything I could to find him. When I got older and moved out of the house, I started going by 'Harvey' again, in hopes that maybe he was looking for me too. I thought it might make it easier."

"Why?"

"I didn't tell you?" Harvey asked. But he knew he hadn't told him, for fear it might trigger the memories to come back before he wanted them to. But maybe now he could risk it. "When I was younger, I hated my name. So I made everyone call me by my middle name."

"Alan." Mike clarified.

"Yeah. But my brother liked Harvey better. So I let him call me that. Just him."

"I can understand that." Mike said, examining him. "You don't look like an Alan."

Harvey waited. But still nothing. No look of realization on his associate's face. "So I've been told."

Mike licked his lips nervously. "I just have one more question."

"Ask away."

"Why are you suddenly letting your emotions slip through?"

Harvey had known that one was coming. But he didn't know when. He'd hoped it would be after Mike knew the truth, but life didn't work that way. "What do you mean?"

"Well... if you say you refused to have emotions... I want to know why you suddenly seem emotional. Unless I'm imagining things."

"You're not imagining it." Harvey admitted, looking down.

Mike reached across the table they were sitting at, thinking it was harmless as the restaurant they were in was mostly empty. He laid his fingers over Harvey's, but Harvey pulled back at lightning speed. "Sorry..."

"No..." Harvey said, slowly putting his hand in Mike's. "I'm sorry. I know you're just trying to help." He felt the same tightness in his chest that he'd felt the last him he held Mike's hand.

Mike gave a small but encouraging smile. "I'm just worried about you."

Harvey nodded, feeling Mike squeeze his hand. "I know."

"So? Are you going to tell me? I know I'm just some kid to you, but..."

"You are not just some kid, Mike." Harvey told him.

"Then let me help you."

"You're right. There is a reason I've been slipping up lately."

Mike waited. "Are you going to tell me what it is?"

Harvey considered it. He wanted Mike to know. But what happened after that? Would he hate him? Would it be worth it, to see him look at him in disgust rather than adoration? "You."

Mike blushed. "Me?"

"Yeah." This was it. The moment of truth. There was no going back. He had to tell him now. If he didn't, he'd regret it. And it would give Mike even more reason to hate him if he found out later. But... "You... You remind me of him." He just couldn't.


	9. Familiarity

**A/N: So I decided to just post the rest of the chapters tonight because I know if I don't it'll probably be like a year until I have time to post the next one lol. So enjoy, and please review!**

Chapter Nine - Familiarity (Posted 11 February 2012)

"I do?" Mike asked. Was it really that hard to believe? That he could remind Harvey of the brother he'd loved so much?

"You do. I look at you... and I feel... well that's just it. I feel."

"Harvey..." if his face wasn't red already, it definitely was now. He could feel the heat creeping up as his blush deepened.

"Come on." He wrapped his hand all the way around Mike's, pulling him out of the tiny restaurant and throwing some money on the counter on the way out.

"Where are we-" Mike wasn't able to finish his question as he was pushed against a cold, brick wall, knocking the wind out of him. He didn't even have time to take a breath before a pair of lips caught his own in a fiery kiss that filled him with so much warmth he could feel it in his bones.

"Sorry." Harvey pulled away. Just far enough that their lips weren't touching, but close enough that he couldn't look him in the eye.

"What are you sorry about?" Mike asked, panting. "For feeling something other than emptiness? For letting me be the person you share it with?"

"I shouldn't have kissed you..."

"Harvey, I don't mind." Mike assure him, wrapping his arms around Harvey's neck. He felt strangely at ease, pinned between his boss's warm, strong body in front of him and the hard wall behind him. "I don't mind at all. Harvey, I... I'm sure you've realized this by now, but I really like you. I like you so much I can't stand it sometimes..."

"I feel the same..." Harvey half lied. Then again, he was almost sure Mike was half-lying as well. Neither of them could say what they were really feeling, because that kind of thing is likely to scare a person.

Mike smiled. "As happy as I am right now, I think we should take this somewhere private. I think we need to talk about this."

"We've done enough talking over the last couple weeks, don't you think?"

The blush returned to Mike's face, but he nodded nonetheless. Harvey hailed a cab and took Mike back to his place.

X

As soon as they were in the door, their lips were together again. Their hands were all over the other's body, and they couldn't seem to get enough of each other.

Harvey felt a twang of guilt pooling in his stomach, but he couldn't do much about it with Mike pressed up against him like it was.

Still, he knew he couldn't take things too far. Not tonight.

He led them to the couch, laying back so Mike could straddle him. It was already too much.

"Really?" Mike asked breathily. "The sofa? I didn't think you'd like that very much."

"I don't." Harvey said between kisses.

"Oh? Then where do you like it? The floor? The table? Against the wall? Or are you more of a classic bed kind of guy?"

Harvey's lips slowed down, as did his hands as he focused on the feel of Mike's muscular body. "We won't be exploring any of that tonight, Mike."

"What?" Mike pulled back, suddenly looking self-conscious. "Why not?"

"Because I don't want to just jump into bed with you." Harvey said. "You're more important than that. And you know it."

"But..."

"Are you usually this quick to sleep with someone?"

Mike shook his head. "No. I just..." he leaned forward and petted Harvey's hair. "I trust you, you know? I feel like I can do anything with you and know that I'll be alright. And I thought... well I thought you wanted it..."

"I do." Harvey owed him that bit of honesty. "Believe me, I do. But I want to build up to it. Is that okay?"

"Of course it is." Mike nodded.

"Good."

"...What do we do now?"

"Come here." Harvey pulled him down against him, laying Mike's head against his chest, holding him like he had so many times before. They were older, but it didn't feel any different. Their bodies still fit together like interlocking pieces. It was overwhelming, feeling Mike's heartbeat against him after living without it for so many years.

"Harvey?" Mike looked up into his eyes. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You're crying..."

"Am I?" Harvey just now noticed the wetness falling down his cheeks. "Sorry. I guess all this time with no emotions... is catching up with me."

"Don't be sorry." Mike ordered. "I understand..." he reached up and wiped Harvey's tears away, smiling once his face was dry. "There. All better."

Harvey's arms tightened around Mike as if he was going to disappear. "I will be."


	10. Mom

Chapter Ten - Mom (Posted 11 February 2012)

Harvey didn't waste any time calling up his mother the next day. Even though he wasn't exactly close to her after Mikey was taken, they had managed to make up after he moved out of the house.

"Harvey," she said excitedly into the phone, "it's so nice to hear from you."

"It's been a while." Harvey said. "I'm sorry."

"Nonsense. You're a busy man, don't worry about me. So, how've you been?"

"I've been great, Mom." He answered. "Really great."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"I've got something else you might be glad to hear." he told her.

She recognized the happiness in her son's voice. "Don't tell me..."

"I found him."

"Oh, sweetie..."

"I finally found him. Or, he found me, rather. It's a long story. But the point is that I have him now."

She could be heard sniffling on the other end. "I'm so happy for you, son. Have you... talked to him yet?"

"Kind of." Harvey told her. Then he explained that he'd interviewed and hired Mike, and had been working with him ever since. And that he just recently confirmed his suspicions, but hadn't brought it up to Mike yet.

"I don't know what to say." his mother admitted.

"Do you want to see him?"

"What?"

"I was thinking about bringing him around. It might jog his memory a bit."

There was a long pause. "Do you think that's a good idea?"

"Yes." There was no swaying him.

"Well, then. Bring him someday. But wait until after he knows everything. I don't think I could stand to watch him have another meltdown in my house."

Harvey agreed with that. "Will do. But... I'd like to come over and talk to you and Dad. I just... it's hard to keep it in. I just want to tell him everything, but I can't do that..."

"You're welcome here anytime, dear." she told him. "You come talk to us. Maybe we can help you find a way to tell him. Why don't you come tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow? Isn't that a bit of short notice?"

"The sooner he knows the truth, the sooner you two can be happy together."

"Thanks."

"No problem. And Harvey? I'm still sorry that we couldn't do more at the time. You're not the only one that was hurt by him leaving."

"I know, Mom."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow, then?"

"Probably. Bye."

"Bye, son."


	11. Replacement

Chapter Eleven - Replacement (Posted 11 February 2012)

"Hey, Harvey." Mike said, all smiles as he walked into his boss's office. "I'm about to head out, unless you need something?"

Harvey looked up, unable to be annoyed by the amount of work he had to do yet when he saw the sparkle in Mike's eye. "Actually, there is something I need from you before you go."

"Oh? What is it?"

He stood up and leaned slightly over his desk, holding out his hand. "Your keys."

"Huh?"

"Your keys," Harvey repeated. "You keep them on a key ring, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Give them to me." he tried to contain the smirk he felt threatening to break through.

"But... why?"

"Give them to me and you'll find out."

Mike stuck his hand in his pocket and pulled out his keys, placing them in Harvey's hand. He watched him open a drawer in his desk and pull something out, securing it to the key ring. "What is this?" he asked, examining the new key.

Harvey rolled his eyes. "It's a key, Mike."

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell. Seriously, Harvey, what is it?"

"It's the key to my condo."

Mike's mouth went dry. "What?" he coughed. "We've only been together for a week..."

Harvey shrugged. "So?"

"So... aren't there rules about these things? Don't you have to wait a certain amount of time before you give someone your key?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never given anyone my key before."

"Really?"

"Really. So don't lose it, okay? I wouldn't want some stranger to be able to get into my house."

"Harvey... I... I don't know if I can accept this."

"Why not?"

"I don't know... I just feel like we're moving so fast, you know? I mean, we've barely done anything more than kissing... but I don't mean physically."

"Then what do you mean?"

"It feels like we've been together for a long time. Like we've... felt this way for longer than we have, like it couldn't have happened in just a week, Harvey. I just..."

"I understand." And boy, did he understand. "We'll talk about it later, okay? Will you wait for me at my place? It shouldn't take me much longer to finish up here."

"I could help you... then you could be done faster."

"You've already done all your work for today, Mike. You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Mike gave a tiny smile. "I want to." He discreetly looked behind him to make sure no one was looking before leaning forward to meet Harvey's lips for a nanosecond before sitting down to get to work."

Harvey couldn't help but smile back, even if it was small. "Okay. Let;s get to it, then."

X

"If it bothers you that much," Harvey said, once they were settled in on his sofa, "I can keep the key until later."

"No... but that's just it, Harvey. It doesn't bother me at all. Actually, it... it makes me really happy. And I've been thinking... I'd do just about anything for you. I feel so at ease when I'm around you, and... I don't know why. I mean I know why, but I can't explain why I feel so close to you. Let's be real, this isn't a three-star romantic comedy, those kinds of things don't really happen, but I can't find any other explanation other than that I-"

"Stop." Harvey interrupted, placing his hand over Mike's mouth. "Don't. Don't say it." He removed his hand, hoping Mike wouldn't say what he knew he was going to say.

Mike looked defeated. "Maybe I should leave..."

"No, Mike, I didn't mean I don't want you to say it, but... you don't have all the facts."

"What?"

"There's just..."

"Is this still because of your brother?"

"...Yeah."

"You know... I've been meaning to ask you about that too."

"I thought you were done with your questions." Harvey was still conflicted over the whole matter. Maybe it was better for him not to know. For him to not have to remember that horrible day.

"I thought of another one."

At this point, Harvey didn't even know what to think. "Okay."

"When you look at me... do you see me? Or him?"

How was he supposed to answer. Neither answer was wrong. But neither was completely right, either. "I don't-"

"Because I can't be a replacement, Harvey. What I feel for you is real. But... I can't help but wonder if you feel this way because you like me... or because you miss your brother."

"Mike, I can't..."

"You said I don't have all the facts." Mike interrupted again. "What am I missing, Harvey? Why can't I get you to look at me without seeing you slip into your past with someone else?"

"It's not like that, Mike," he said, feeling Mike's hand on his face.

"Then tell me what it is like." Mike waited for an answer, but Harvey just gave him a blank stare. He stood and walked to the door. "Call me when you figure it out."


	12. The File

Chapter Twelve - The File (Posted 11 February 2012)

Mike didn't know what he was doing back at work this late at night. Everyone was gone. He didn't even have anything he could be working on. But... he couldn't go back to Harvey's. Not yet, anyway. And, as much as he wanted to talk to his grandmother about it, visiting hours at the nursing home were long over for the night. He couldn't even go home, the claustrophobic closet his landlord had the nerve to call an apartment was just too cramped for him to think in.

So he wound up here. In Harvey's office. Something told him he shouldn't be there, but he didn't want to sit in his cubicle. He didn't want to be surrounded by dark, empty desks. As if he wasn't feeling lonely enough right now.

He just didn't understand it. Why all of a sudden the ache in his chest that told him something was missing had dulled the moment he met Harvey. Why every time he wasn't near him, it suddenly flared up again. Not as bad as it had been since he first felt it, but bad enough for him to notice.

It was true, he didn't like to think of himself as Harvey's replacement for his long-lost foster brother. But he wasn't just worried about himself. He was afraid of hurting Harvey. He said he'd hidden his emotions, even from himself, for so long. He didn't want to force his feelings on him.

They were so strong. He didn't know where they came from, how they grew to what they were so quickly. And he couldn't expect Harvey to be able to keep up with him. How would he handle it? Would it cause him distress? Was it worth the risk?

He just wasn't sure.

That's when he noticed something buried under a small stack of papers on Harvey's desk. It was a file. He didn't know why it bothered him, Harvey was a lawyer. He was bound to have some files laying around. But he grabbed the corner anyway, gingerly pulling it out from underneath everything else.

It had his name on it.

So he opened it, curious as to why Harvey would have any type of file about him. "My medical files..."

"What are you doing here?" a female voice came from behind him.

He turned, almost frightened, until he saw Donna standing there. Though he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not. "I needed somewhere to think..."

"And Harvey's office was the spot you chose?"

Mike nodded. "It's quiet, secluded..."

"Somewhere you can feel close to him."

"...Yeah."

"What's that?"

Mike snorted. "Like you don't know. You're probably the one that got it for him."

She shrugged, looking sneaky. "Maybe."

"Why does he have this?"

"Have you looked at it?"

"Donna, this file is about me. I know my own medical history."

She lifted her eyebrows. "Do you?"

He frowned and opened the file. Nothing he hadn't seen before. Until he reached page three. "Wait, this can't be right... I only had amnesia for a few days. And it doesn't say anything about my coma. What? I never broke my arm..."

"You think the files are wrong?"

"What other explanation could it be?"

She gave him a subtle look of pity. "Someone's been keeping something from you."

"But the only person who would know anything about this is my Gram..." He saw her sorry eyes. "No... she didn't... why would she lie about this?"

"Maybe you should ask her that."

"I don't want to accuse her of anything..."

"You're not accusing her, Mike." she said. "You're just asking her a question."

"Maybe. Are you sure this is _my_ file? There's probably a billion people named Mike Ross out there..."

"With the same basic medical history as you?"

He looked at the papers again. "I guess I should go talk to her tomorrow after work..."

"No," she shook her head, closing the folder in his hand, "go first thing in the morning."

"But if I'm late-"

"Trust me, Harvey's not going to punish you. Go in the morning."

He thought about it, then nodded, holding the folder at his side. After thanking her, he went home.


	13. The Most Important Question

Chapter Thirteen - The Most Important Question (Posted 11 February 2012)

"Michael," his grandmother smiled at him when he walked in to see her, "what a pleasant surprise."

"Hey, Grammy."

"Oh, what's got you down, dear?" she said, noticing the sad look on his face.

"Nothing, just... relationship trouble."

"Ah. Jenny?"

Mike chuckled. "No."

"That cute girl at the office?" she winked.

"Rachel? No, no. I've been... um... I've been seeing my boss, actually. Harvey."

Her eyes widened slightly. "I see. Things aren't going so well?"

"No. It's the opposite, really. Things are great between us. Perfect, almost."

"Almost?"

"Yeah..." he said quietly. "I feel like we're too in sync, you know? Like it's just too nice."

"Too good to be true."

Mike nodded. "Yeah, like that. But... that's not what I came to talk to you about."

"Oh? Then what did you come to talk about?"

He held up the file he'd come across last night. "This." He laid it on her lap, silently instructing her to open it.

She did. "Michael," she said when she realized what it was, "how did you get this?"

"Someone did a little digging." he told her. "I don't know why, or how they got it, but they did. And when I found it, I noticed something strange."

"What would that be?"

"Grammy... you told me I was in a coma for eleven months after my parents died, and _then _had amnesia when I came out of it. But these documents don't say anything about a coma at all, and they say I suffered amnesia for just over a year. Now, I never bothered to check up on what you told me. What reason would I have had? I was a kid. And as I grew up, I didn't have regular doctor visits, so they never mentioned anything unusual to me. But now I want to know the truth. What happened to me after Mom and Dad died?"

"Sit down, Michael." she patted the chair next to her bed. He sat down, and she sighed. "I knew this day would come eventually."

"So you did lie to me, then."

She nodded. "Yes. I lied to you."

"Were you ever going to tell me the truth?"

"Not if I had any say in it."

Mike couldn't believe his own grandmother was saying this. "You're saying that if I wouldn't have found that file, you would have let me live my life not knowing there was a whole year of my life that I missed?"

"Yes." She said softly. "I was just trying to protect you."

"Protect me? From what?"

"The pain that would go along with knowing what happened during that year."

"What did happen?"

"You still can't remember?"

Mike shook his head. "No. I can't."

"Even now that you know the truth? Now that you're getting closer to Harvey?"

"No- wait, what does Harvey have to do with it?"

She looked at him, as if assessing whether he could handle the truth or not. "Has he told you his parents used to take in foster children?"

"Yeah. He told me about one..."

"His brother." She nodded. "Michael, you were a child whose parents recently passed away. The state couldn't determine whether your frail old grandmother could take care of you. What do you think happened to you during that year?"

"No..." Mike stood, backing away from her. She couldn't be saying what he thought she was saying. There was no way. But he couldn't stop his brain from trying to fit everything together. It didn't take long to see that it all made sense, now that he had all the pieces. Except one. "I gotta go. I'll visit you again soon." He ran out of the room without even saying goodbye.

She watched him go, calling out, "I'm sorry."

X

Mike sped to Pearson Hardman after leaving the nursing home. He peddled so fast he was afraid his poor bike might disintegrate beneath him.

"He didn't come in today," Donna told him when he approached her desk.

"You knew, didn't you." He said with sad eyes. "All this time, you both knew."

"I don't know what you're talking about." she said, not looking up from her computer.

He couldn't really blame her. She was just trying to stay out of it. "Is he at home?"

She nodded. "He's waiting for you. You still have the key he gave you, right?"

"Is there anything you don't know?"

She smirked. "Just go to him."

"Okay... thanks, Donna. Really."

X

He reached Harvey's condo in record time, fumbling with his keys before finally getting it in the lock. He opened the door, relieved to see Harvey sitting on his sofa.

"Hi." he said, standing, breathless, in front of him.

Harvey looked up warily. "Hi."

Mike bent down and grabbed his hands, standing him up so they were just a few inches apart. He closed some of the distance between them, looking into his eyes, hoping to trigger something. Nothing. "All this time." he squeaked out. "All the questions I could have asked you... I forgot the biggest one."

"And that is?"

"What was his name?"

"Whose?"

"Don't toy with me, Harvey. Your brother. The little boy that you claimed as your own and was taken away from you. What was his name?"

Harvey wrapped his arms around Mike, holding him securely. "Mikey," he whispered. "His name was Mikey."


	14. Completing The Puzzle

Chapter Fourteen - Completing the Puzzle (Posted 11 February 2012)

Mike didn't get it. He was in Harvey's arms. And he knew the truth. He knew what really happened during that year. But why couldn't he remember?

"Harvey..." he whispered.

"Yes?" Harve couldn't help but be nervous.

"I really want you to kiss me right now."

Harvey fulfilled his request immediately, connecting their lips and trying to pour as much emotion as possible into the kiss. "You know, then... that you aren't his replacement."

"Yeah." Mike admitted with the small amount of voice he could find. "Because I'm him."

"I missed you so much."

"That's why you took the emptiness away. Because even though I didn't recognize you, it was still you."

"You don't remember."

Mike shook his head against Harvey's chest. "No. I don't, and it's killing me. I want to remember what it was like, Harvey. I have your side of the story. I want to know mine."

"Maybe I can help you with that." He grabbed Mike's hand and took him into his bedroom. He sat him on the bed while he went to his closet. It didn't take him long to find what he was looking for. He reached up to the top shelf and pulled something down. "This is Mr. Monkey," he said, handing mike the stuffed animal. "I bought it for you while you were in the hospital."

Mike took the animal, trying to focus on the memories it might unlock. "After you saved me from the bully."

"Right. You fell on your arm... and it broke."

"Why can't I remember it?" he asked softly, frustrated.

"I have more." Harvey said, pulling a trunk out from underneath his bed. "This was the book we liked to read together."

"I..." Mike looked through it. "I get this... feeling, but..."

"Déjà vu?"

"Yeah..." Mike reasoned, realizing why that happened so frequently around Harvey.

"But still no memories."

"None. Sorry."

"These were our shirts from the family picnic that year." Harvey said, pulling out two navy shirts with 'Specter' written across the front. Then he pulled out another large book. "And this is a photo album. See, there we are on the playground. And eating cake on your birthday."

"We really liked to hug," Mike observed, a smile reaching his face as he recognized himself in mostly all of the photos. And the older boy who was clearly Harvey, holding onto him in practically every one. "This one is cute."

Harvey leaned over to get a better look at the picture Mike was looking at. They were asleep on the sofa, under a blanket. "I like that one. But this one," he stood and took a frame off his dresser, "this one is my favorite."

Mike took the frame. It displayed a close-up of them, their cheeks pressed together and wide smiles lighting up their faces. "You really keep that there all the time?"

"Of course I do."

"Don't people see it and wonder who it is?"

"I'm sure the do." Harvey nodded. "But they probably assume it's children in the family. Not that I really care."

Mike went back to looking at the album while Harvey replaced the frame on the dresser. "Who are these people."

"Mom and Dad." Harvey said, pointing to the adults standing off to the left. "Theresa, my biological older sister. And you and me, of course. This was our Christmas card photo."

"I should have guessed." Mike said. "Look at those sweaters."

Harvey chuckled. He remembered those big red sweaters, with a tree right in the middle. "I refused to wear it at first. I only did because you told me you liked it."

"I was a big part of your family."

"You were. Everyone loved you like you were blood."

Mike hung his head in his hands. "I wish I could remember."

Harvey wrapped an arm around him. "So do I."

"I just don't understand. I have all the pieces to this puzzle... but I still can't get the whole picture."

All of a sudden a lightbulb went off in Harvey's head. "There's one more thing we can try. Come here."

Suddenly Mike was being pulled into another room. A guest room that had rarely, if ever, been used by the looks of it. "What's in here?"

"Maybe the piece your missing is a literal piece of a puzzle. This puzzle." Harvey pointed to a large puzzle of a waterfall mounted on the wall.

Mike looked at it. "It's not working."

"Just wait." Harvey picked something up off the table in front of it and pressed it into Mike's hand. "I told you we used to love to do puzzles together. And you always wanted to put the last piece in. You... you left before we could finish this one. I got most of it done... but I couldn't bring myself to put that last piece in. See? There." he touched a hole in the picture.

"Harvey... I don't know..."

"Here, we'll do it together." He stood behind Mike, wrapping one arm around his waist and guiding his hand forward with the other. His breath ghosted over Mike's neck. "You ready?"

Mike took a breath and swallowed before nodding. "I'm ready, Harvey."

Harvey moved their arms forward, pushing the last piece into place. And then Mike collapsed.


	15. I Promised

Chapter Fifteen - I Promised (Posted 11 February 2012)

"Mike?" Harvey tapped Mike's face. He'd caught him in his arms when he passed out after finishing the puzzle, then laid him down in the bed. "Mike? Can you hear me?"

Mike's head turned slightly and his eyes fluttered open. They locked with Harvey's, and all the memories came flooding back. Meeting him for the first time. Getting knocked down by the bully. How they rarely went anywhere without each other. The deep connection they had. And being dragged out of the home they shared.

As if they were crystal balls, Harvey watched the memories play out in Mike's eyes. And then Mike's lips were on his, arms around his neck, their bodies pressing together. "You remember."

Mike moaned into the kiss. "I remember. I remember everything."

"And you still want this?" Harvey asked. "Even though I kept it from you..."

Mike stopped the kiss. "I'm not mad at you, Harvey. I'm just so happy to finally see you again... I didn't even realize I was lonely..."

"Oh, Mike," Harvey said, seeing the tears roll down Mike's cheeks. "Don't cry. I've got you. I promised I'd find you. I didn't think it'd take me this long, but I finally did."

"When all this started, I had no idea those questions would lead me here."

"It was time. And you had me to guide you." Harvey kissed him again. "You know... when we were kids, I didn't know why I was so possessive of you. I didn't... I didn't know what I was feeling. But I was a teenager, and you were only eight... so I never imagined we could be like this. But we're all grown up now. And the five years between us doesn't mean much anymore."

Mike let all the tears fall from his eyes, blinking away the excess. "We loved each other, Harvey, So I need to know... do you still love me?"

Harvey pushed forward and touched their lips together gently, breathing against him, "I still love you."

A smile found its way to Mike's face. "I love you too."

"I haven't doubted that for a second."

"And it doesn't bother you that we were brothers?" Mike said as Harvey continued to kiss him.

Harvey chuckled. "Not a bit."

"Good."

"I just... I still can't believe..."

"Harvey, I don't want to dwell on that right now. We can sort all that out in the morning. For now, I need you."

X

"Don't be nervous," Harvey told him as they stood outside his childhood home, "they love you, remember?"

"I know... but are they going to be okay with this, Harvey?"

Harvey hugged him close. "I told my mom about you after I kissed you that first time. And she knew before I even told her that we were involved. If they weren't okay with it, they would have told me."

"Besides," a woman's voice graced their ears as the front door opened, "we knew you two had a special bond. Hello, boys."

"Hey, Mom." Harvey said proudly. "This is Mike."

She smiled. "It's nice to see you again, Mike."

Mike's mouth was dry, but he still somehow found a way to speak to her. "You can call me Mikey."

Her smile widened as her eyes became slightly wet. She motioned for them to come in and pulled them both into a loose hug. "Look at you," she looked Mike up and down, "so grown up. So handsome."

"Honey, is that-" suddenly an older man came walking into the front room. "Mikey..."

"Hi, Dad." Harvey and Mike said together.

He shook their hands and invited them into the kitchen to talk. They reminisced, mostly. Reliving the memories that Mike could finally visualize. It was well into the night before they left.

"They were really happy to see you." Harvey told him as they drove home.

"I think they were happy to see us reunited." Mike theorized.

"Probably. Look, Mike... I know they're not your real parents... but it means a lot to me, and them, that you came with me today."

"They were the parents I needed when mine couldn't be there for me anymore. They gave me everything they could, including you. If they're up to it, I don't mind calling myself their son, Harvey."

Harvey nodded. "Are you going to talk to your grandmother?"

"Yeah." Mike said quietly. "I'm still mad at her... but I can't change the past. She did take care of me, and I do love her. But I can't forgive her just yet."

"I'm sure she'll understand."

"Harvey?" Mike reached over and threaded his fingers in Harvey's hair.

"Hm?"

"I really love you."

"And I really love you."

X

"What's this?" Mike asked as Harvey handed him a yellowed envelope.

Harvey sat next to him before explaining. "You sent me a letter. Before you forgot. I tried to reply, but by then you'd moved and there was no way for me to give you my letter."

"You still have it?" Mike couldn't believe it. It was still sealed and everything.

"I have everything, Mike. Everything that was important to us, it's in this condo somewhere. Except the bunk bed, Mom and Dad kept that. Go on, open it. I don't even remember what I wrote."

"You never looked at it?"

Harvey shook his head. "I wanted to wait until I found you. So we could look at it together."

Mike peeled the envelope open, unfolding the stiff paper and reading the words aloud. "Dear Mikey, please don't be afraid. Any time you feel nervous, just think about me. You can call me at any time, even if it's two in the morning. I'll answer for you. And just remember that I love you, and I'll find a way to get you back. Don't give up on me, okay? We'll see each other soon, I promise. Forever your brother, Harvey."

"When I said soon," Harvey said, "I didn't think I'd mean twenty years."

"Twenty years... wow."

"Yeah."

Mike leaned over and kissed Harvey's cheek. "But we're together now, Harvey. Let's focus on that instead of the time we spent apart, okay?"

Harvey gave a little smile and pulled Mike back in for a bigger kiss. "You're right. Why think about that when I should be enjoying this. I'm so glad to have you back. But I have to be honest, you're going to have to forgive me if I get a little jealous or possessive. I lost you once, I won't let it happen again."

Mike nodded, understanding. "Honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way."


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue (Posted 11 February 2012)

Harvey woke the next morning with a sensation he'd been missing since he was fourteen. Mike, breathing slowly in his arms, cuddled up next to him. He reflexively pulled him closer, loving the weight of him, the smell of him, everything. It was just as it used to be, only there was more love. A new kind of love that he wasn't afraid to feel now that he had his Mikey back.

"Good morning." Mike turned over and kissed Harvey softly.

"Yes, it is a good morning."

"So last night I had this dream that you were a snowman. And I brought you in my house and warmed you up, until all the ice around you melted, revealing the regular you beneath it. Except you still had a carrot nose."

Harvey laughed. "I want to wake up like this every morning."

"Me too. And we will. Nothing can separate us now. Because I'm yours."

"And I'm just as much yours. I always have been."

Mike chuckled lazily. "Hey, you know what I just realized?"

"What?"

"I've been your friend. I've been your brother. And now I'm your lover. I'm your t'hy'la."

The laughter inside Harvey just couldn't be suppressed. He rolled on top of Mike and kissed his stomach, up past his chest and neck until he finally found his lips. "I think you might be right."

"Who are you kidding? You know I'm right."

"I think your brain is damaged. Maybe you should meditate."

Mike sat up and ran his hands across Harvey's body. "I've got a better idea."


End file.
